Oil vaporizer



Oct. 4, 1949. i J. ROSENBLUM 2,483,937

OIL VAPORIZER Filed April 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [Eden/i0]? J cQb Kosenb I .fliiforng.

Oct. 4, 1949. J. ROSENBLUM 2,4838937 OIL VAPORIZER Filed April 6, 1945 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 4, 1949 OIL VAPORIZER Jacob Rosenblum, Crescent Park, N. J., assignor of one-fourth to Henry Trattner, Audubon, and one-fourth to Raymond L. Siris, Camden, N. J.

Application April 6, 1945, Serial No. 586,919,

6 Claiims. (Cl. 123-196) My invention relates to new and useful oil vaporizers especially adapted for use in connection with internal combustion engines and particularly employed as accessories or permanent parts of the engines of automotive vehicles, and any other engine that is lubricated 'by oil and generates heat directly or indirectly.

An object of this inventoin is to constantly refine and purify the oil used in an engine, by means of heating, boiling and vaporizing the oil, collecting and separating the foreign solids therefrom, and at the same timereclaiming the unused fuel and moisture accumulating in the engine crankcase, which are harmful when contained in the oil, by separating and removing said fuel and moisture from the oil, in the form of vapors, and thereafter using said fuel and moisture, formerly discarded and wasted, for the efficient operation of the engine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a circulating system for the oil from the engine crankcase, which system includes a vaporizing or boiling vessel and a supply control tank so po' sitioned relative to each other that the proper liquid level is maintained in the vaporizing vessel.

Another object of this invention is to connect a signal with the supply control tank and provide means in the latter to actuate said signal when the supply reaches a preselected high or low level in said supply control tank or said tank and the vaporizing vessel.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for separating the different elements of the used oil and a number of lines of return for the refined oil and a passage IfOI' the separated fuel and moisture leading to the fuel supply system.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for directly heating the vaporizing vessel from the exhaust manifold or component thereof, of an engine.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for heating the vaporizing vessel with steam produced by heating water flowing through a coil in the exhaust manifold of an engine.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for heating the vaporizing vessel by heat supplied from burning fuel in a heating chamber associated with said vaporizing vessel.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

. In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to'the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which: V

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of 'a'portio'n of an in ternal combustion engine with the elements of the oil vaporizer of the steam heated type connected thereto and portions shown as broken away and in section to illustrate details of construction. I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the oil intercepting" and return ring aind connecting tube or stern. Fig. 2a is a's'ectional elevation.

Fig. 3 is a side elevatiofi of a portion of an engine with the elements of the oil vaporizer of the fuel heated type connected thereto and portions shown as broken away and in section to illustrate details or construction, and the e1ectrica1 systems depicted diagrammatically. V e V Fig. 4 is a similar view of the oil vaporizer of the direct enaust heated type. I

In carrying out the invention as herein embodied, 5 denotes an internal combustion engine having a crankcase 6 to which leads an oil filler tube 7 covered by the usual breather cap 8 removably held in place by a'spring clip 9 or'equivalent or substitute means. Ari intake manifold lfl supplys fuel to the engine cylinders from a carburetor i I, and an exhaust manifold l2 leads from i the exhaust side of the engine to an exhaust pipe from a crankcase 6 through a pipe l5 to the upper part or all on supply control tank 16. A verve il is interposed in pipe B5 to shut ofi the system if and when necessary. The liquid flowing through or from said pipe It is regulated by a valve I? preferably located in the outlet end of said pipe or at the inlet to the tank and said valve may be urged towards its open position by a spring and towards its closed or both positions by a float i8 mounted on an arm i9 pivoted at 28 within the supply control tank 16.,

Also within the supply control tank it is a low level float 2! having a stem 22 that projects through a bracket 23 and the top of the tank and is'pivotally connected to a swinging contact blade 2 suitably pivoted at 25 and insulated from the tank or other metal part to which it may be secured' The contact blade .231 is adapted to engage a second contact blade 26, pivoted at 21 and also grounded to its support by pigtails and forming part of one sideof an electric circuit, it being 3 understood that the first named contact blade forms a part of the other side of the circuit.

For convenience of illustration the second contact blade 26 is shown as having a wire 29 connected to ground 30, and the contact blade 2:13. has a flexible connection or pigtail 28 attached to the wire 3i which latter is connected to one side of a signal device 32, such as a lamp, while the other side of said signal device is connected to a source of electricity 32' and thence to ground 33.

The second contact blade will be operated, under certain conditions, by the high level float tfl'which rests on the bracket 23, when said high level float is in its neutral position, and may slide on the float stem 22 independently thereof, through the medium of the rod carried by said high level fioat 34, which rod also projects through the top of the supply control tank for cooperation with said second contact blade 26.

Assuming that the elements are functioning properly, the pump will force oil through the pipe 85 to the supply control tank I6 and when the preselected liquid level has ben reached the float It will close the valve I1 and as the oil in the supply control tank decreases the float will descend and open the valve l? so that under ordinary conditions a constant oil level will be maintained.

Should the oil supply to the supply control tank fail for any reason, and the oil level drop below the preselected level a considerable extent the low level float 21 will descend and pull down the contact blade 2 until it engages the second contact blade 25 to close the circuit through the signal device 32, thus giving a warning to the operator that something is wrong.

If the valve fails to close or some other condi tion causes the supply control tank It to fill or the oil to rise above the preselected level, the high level float 34 will ascend and move the second contact blade 26 into engagement with the contact blade 24 and likewise close the circuit through the signal device as a warning to the operator.

The supply control tank [6 is provided with a drain plug 35 to permit said tank to be drained for cleaning purposes and the removal of any accumulations of sediment precipitated from the oil while in the tank.

From the supply control tank leads an outlet pipe 3'! to the vaporizing vessel 38, and said outlet pipe has its ends detachably connected to both containers with a valve 3-9, adjacent each container so that either valve may be closed to prevent the oil in the pipe from escaping when an end of said pipe is disconnected at either end thereof. The ends of the pipe project above the bottoms of their respective containers to prevent precipitated sediment from reentering the pipe. A drain plug 38' is provided in the vaporizing vessel for cleaning purposes.

The vaporizing vessel 38 has a reduced upper end or dome ll from which leads a condensing coil 12 to a separator tank 43 having a baffle 44 therein. This baffle is above the location of the point of connection of the condensing coil with the separator tank 43 to assist in directing the oil downward while permitting any fuel and water vapors or moisture, which are of a lighter specific gravity, to rise to the upper end of the separator tank. This tank is provided with a safety blowoif valve 45 that is set to blow off at a safe predetermined pressure to prevent the accumulation of such excess internal pressure as might cause an explosion.

- An outlet nipple 46 is connected with the lower end of the separator tank 43 and from said nipple leads a flexible tube 41 which is attached to the cap 8 and therefore communicates with the oil filler tube 7 when the cap is in place. An oil intercepting and return ring 43, Figs. 2 and 2a, comprises an annular body 49 forming a central opening and said body is provided with a channel 5| open at the top. A hollow stem 52 is fixed to the ring body at a point on its outer circumference and communicates with the bottom of the channel. The ring "38 is located in the upper portion of the vaporizing vessel 38, particularly the dome El thereof, in an inclined position with its stem projecting through a Wall of the vaporizing vessel and fixed to the nipple 46 for communication with the latter.

A pipe 53 runs from the top of the separator tank 43 to a safety valve 54 including a spring actuated flap 55 and said valve 5 3 is connected to an air cleaner 55 of any well known or preferred construction, which cleaner is attached to the carburetor II. A shut ofi valve 5'! is interposed in the pipe 53.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing, a pipe 53 leads from the cooling system of the engine, such as the radiator (not shown), or other source of water supply, to a reservoir 59whe're a desired head of water is maintained by a valve 69 controlled by a fioat 6! in the reservoir.

An outlet pipe 52 leads from the reservoir 59 to the inlet end of a heating coil 53 located in a suitable portion of the exhaust manifold 12, or a coin ponent part thereof. The outlet end of the heating coil 83 is connected to the steam fitting 64 outside of the exhaust and said steam fitting is provided with a suitable gauge and stop valve which prevents water flowing through until the steam pressure reaches a predetermined point, and a safety blow-01f valve 65. A heat transfer coil 5'! is located inside of the vaporizing vessel 38 and has its inlet end projected through a wall of said vessel and connected to the steam fitting 64 while the outlet end of said heat transfer coil is connected to a pipe 68 that passes throgh a wall of the vaporizing vessel and is connected with the inlet end of a condensing coil 69. The outlet end of the condensing coil is connected to a pipe 15 which leads back to the reservoir outlet pipe 62. A shut-off valve H is interposed in said outlet pipe 62 ahead of the point where the pipe Ill connects to said pipe 62 or between the location of the connection of said pipes and the reservoir 59. It is to be understood that the coil 53 can be in a housing to be connected in the exhaust as will be described in that form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, and all pipes or other parts passing through walls will be properly packed or sealed to prevent leakage around them.

The water level in the reservoir 59 must be at a sufficient height to properly feed the heating coil 63- and as the water passes into said heating coil the temperature of said water will be raised to a high degree by the exhaust gases flowing about the heating coil. The water will be changed to steam and caused to pass through the steam fitting 64 thence to and through the heat transfer coil 61. The heating of the coil 6'! will cause the oil and other liquids in the vaporizing vessel 38 to vaporize and enter the dome El and thereafter pursue the courses to be later described.

The steam or condensate will flow from the coil 57 through the pipe 68 to the coil 69 where it will be condensed and from that location the water will flow through the pipe it back to the pipe 62 for subsequent circulation;

As shown in 3, the vaporizing vessel 38 is provided with a heating cylinder-12, either separate therefrom or as an integral part thereof, and into the firechamber of said heating cylinder projects seamen controlled by avalve M. This nozzle is fed with fuel from the carburetor ii of the engine, or from some other suitable source of supply, through the pipe or tube having one endconnected to the carburetor. and the other end to the nozzle. The fuel entering the fire chamber 'oftheheating cylinder li is ignited in some. desirable manner, as by a spark plug 16 mounted in the heating cylinder and electrically connected to the ignition system of the engine, for example, the distributor Tl. Said fuel also may be ignited. by vacuum created in heating cylinder l2, by reason of the hot exhaust gas and flame passing through elements 18 and 19. Valve 14 is constructed with a safety screen to prevent flame or combustion products from backing up into the fuel supply.

As the fuel is burned, the products of combustion are drawn off through a draft induction device l8 mounted in the exhaust manifold or a component part thereof, said draft induction device comprising a body 19 mounted in the exhaust longitudinally thereof and having a bore straight through it for the passage of some of the exhaust products from the engine, and an elbow 80 projecting into the fire chmber of the heating cylinder 12. The heat generated in the heating cylinder will raise the temperature of the contents of the vaporizing vessel as and for the purpose previously mentioned.

In Fig. 4 the exhaust manifold, or a component part thereof, has a series of inclinded bafiies 8! to deflect the hot products of combmtion towards a side of the vaporizing vessel 38 for heating the contents of the latter. An efficient means for accomplishing this is to provide a housing 82 as a unitary part of the vaporizing vessel so that there will be a single wall only between the chambers of said vaporizing vessel and housing to allow the ready transfer of heat from the housing to the vaporizing vessel. In such an instance the baffles 8| are in the housing. With a structure of this character it is only necessary to fit the housing in a proper position between parts of the exhaust manifold and the vaporizing vessel will be installed or assembled at the same time.

It is to be particularly noted that the supply control tank i6 and the vaporizing vessel are so positioned vertically that the desired oil level in the vaporizing vessel will be maintained or controlled by the oil level in the supply control tank since oil is fed by gravity from said supply control tank to the vaporizing vessel.

In practice, the contents of the vaporizing vessel are heated directly or indirectly by the prodnets of combustion or gases exhausted from the engine, or through the use of a separate heating system using some part or parts of the engine. When the contents of said vaporizing vessel are heated to a sufficiently high temperature said contents will be vaporized and rise to the dome 4! where the vapors will pass through and around the ring 48. Some of the vapor, especially oil vapor, will be condensed within the dome and enter the ring channel to flow through the stem 52 to the fitting d6, thence through the flexible tube 41 and the filler tube 1 to the crankcase, as a clean unadulterated product.

At the same time some of the vapor will pass through the condensing coil to further cool it before entering the separator tank 43. Here the oil, which-is heavier than the gaseous fuel and water vapors, will descend to'the'bottom of the separator tank and flow through the fitting -46, the flexible tubet'land the filler tube 1 to the crankcase. I

As the oil and fuel and water vapors are sepa rated the said fuel and water vapors will rise and be drawn through the pipe 53, past the safety valve 5 i and through the cleaner 56 tothe carburetor l i to be fed through the intake manifold to the engine for addition to theoperating'fuel.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exac't details of construction as herein shown and described as these may be varied within thescop'e of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I-claim as new and useful is:

1. An oil vaporizer comprising, in combination with an engine including intake and exhaust manifolds, a crankcase, an oil filler tube leading to said crankcase and a carburetor; a vaporizing vessel located contiguous the exhaust manifold to be heated by the latter for refining oil, a supply control tank, means to provide a communication between said tank and vessel whereby oil may be fed by gravity from the tank to the vessel and saidtank being so located relative to the vessel that the liquid levels in both will be in the same horizontal planes, means in the supply control tank to regulate the liquid level, means to supply oil from the crankcase to the supply control tank, an oil intercepting ring in the vessel, and means to deliver refined oil from the intercepting ring to 1 the oil filler tube for return to the crankcase.

2. The oil vaporizer of claim 1 wherein the oil intercepting rin and means to deliver refined oil from the vaporizing vessel to the oil filler tube comprises a channel ring within the vessel, a hollow stem projecting from said ring and in communication with the channel, said ring and stem being inclined to cause oil to flow around the channel and down the stem, a flexible tube with which the stem is in communication, and a.

; breather cap to which the flexible tube is conjecting from said ring and extending through a 7 side wall of the vessel.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein the upper part of the vessel in which the ring is located, is restricted in diameter to provide a dome.

5. An oil vaporizer for refining engine oil comprising, in combination with an engine having an oil circulating system, a vaporizing vessel and means for heating the same, means for delivering contaminated oil to said vessel to be vaporized,

means to intercept some of the oilrefined by the vaporization thereof, a separator tank, means to deliver the balance of the oil and other volatile substances to said separator tank where said balance of the oil will descend and the other substances will ascend, means to deliver the oil in the separator tank and that which was intercepted to the starting point of the oil circulating system, and means to deliver said other substances to the fuel intake of the engine.

6. An oil vaporizer comprising in combination was 7 with an engine capable of generating heat, a source of oil supply, a vaporizing vessel to be heated by the engine heat for refining oil, a supply control tank, means to provide a communication between said tank and vessel whereby oil may be fed from the tank to the vessel, means in the supply control tank to regulate the liquid level, means to supply oil from the source of supply to said supply control tank, a channeled ring within the vaporizing vessel, a hollow stem projecting from said ring and through a side wall of saidvaporizing vessel and in communication with the channel, said ring and stem being inclined to cause oil to flow around the channel and down the stem, and a flexible tube forming a communication between the lower end of said stem and the source of supply.

JACOB ROSENBLUM.

REFERENCES? CITED 7 The following references areof record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Clifiord Aug. 20, 1929 

